Painting Lost in WWII Ukraine Pops Up in Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The FBI is seeking to return a painting, stolen in World War II and re- discovered in a Ridgefield home, to its rightful owner, according to a civil complaint filed by the U.S. government.

The artwork, “Secret Departure of Ivan the Terrible Before the Oprichina,” is an oil painting on canvas, measuring approximately 7.5 feet by 8.5 feet, created by Mikhail N. Panin in 1911. It was stolen during the war.

The complaint was filed on Dec. 20, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and seeks forfeiture of the painting on the basis that it represents the proceeds of the interstate transportation of stolen property and possession of stolen goods.

Authorities and art experts aren't sure how the Panin oil painting made its way from Ukraine to Ridgefield. Records indicate it was transferred from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1913 to the collection of Ekaterinoslav City Art Museum (today the Dnepropetrovsk Art Museum), where it was exhibited at the permanent exhibition of the museum until 1941. The painting went missing some time during the Nazi occupation.

In 1962, the "Secret Departure..." conveyed with the sale of a house in Ridgefield by a Swiss citizen who emigrated to the U.S. in 1946. After the sale, the prior owners of the home located a certificate in the attic of the house commemorating the original homeowner’s service in the Swiss Army during the Second World War. The original homeowner passed away in 1986.

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In November 2017, the current homeowners attempted to consign the painting to an art gallery, but the gallery was notified by a Ukrainian art museum that the item had been stolen during the Nazi occupation. The FBI obtained custody of the painting, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office commenced forfeiture proceedings.

The current homeowners have agreed to waive any claims to the painting. If no other claims are filed, the government plans to return the painting to the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C.

Photo of “Secret Departure of Ivan the Terrible Before the Oprichina” courtesy of US Attorney's Office